A fraudulent website claiming to sell tickets to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris has been identified and taken down by cybersecurity firm Proofpoint. The site, paris24tickets[.]com” appeared at the top of search engine results, misleading users into believing it was a legitimate platform.
Proofpoint’s Takedown Team worked with the website registrar to quickly suspend the domain after it was discovered, and the company warned that this was just one example of a growing trend of cybercrime targeting major events like the Olympics.
“The excitement surrounding a mega-event like the Paris Olympics is ripe for cybercriminals,” said Emile Abu Saleh, senior regional director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Proofpoint. “They are exploiting this excitement with social engineering — sophisticated psychological manipulation tactics that manipulate people rather than technology.”
Proofpoint’s 2024 State of Phishing report highlights that business email compromise (BEC) attacks, a type of cybercrime that often utilizes social engineering tactics, increased by 19% last year.
French authorities are also battling a proliferation of websites selling fraudulent Olympic tickets: the French Gendarmerie has identified 338 such sites, shut down 51, and is taking legal action against 140.
The fake ticketing site identified by Proofpoint mimicked the appearance of a legitimate ticket sales platform, making it appear legitimate. The site offered a range of Olympic sports and allowed users to create an account and provide payment information.
Cybersecurity experts believe that the main purpose of the site was to steal money from unsuspecting users, but it is possible that personal information such as names, addresses and credit card details were also collected. The site was primarily promoted through search engine ads, but a few email campaigns were also identified.
“Scammers always exploit current events,” Abu Saleh said. “Their appearance in search engines below the official Paris Olympics ticket site likely gave the website an extra layer of legitimacy.”
Proofpoint warns the public to remain vigilant and only purchase tickets through official channels: the only legitimate way to obtain tickets for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is through the official ticket sales website.